Durga Puja 2014

Durga Puja - our annual grand event for which we wait all year round is here again. The sound of shaankh, smell of dhuno and shuffling of saris brings back sweet reminiscenses of Durgotsav. We are celebrating the long awaited Durga Puja on October 4 and 5, 2014 at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. You are invited to join us.

As usual we have many professional programs lined up for you, as well as some splendid local programs brought to you by hard-working and talented local artists. We have a day of Bollywood artists and another day of Kolkata artists - to make your festival as joyful and rythmic as can be.

And for those who have visited us before, you know the variety of stalls we have at our mandap. The food is simply irresistable and the shopping experience unparalleled.

Monali Thakur - Bollywood's Musical Sensation

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

Monali Thakur comes from a musical family. She rose to popularity after participating in a reality show. She got an offer to sing for music director Pritam Chakraborty to sing two songs for the Bollywood film Race in 2008 "Khwab Dekhe (Sexy lady)" and "Zara Zara Touch Me". She also got nominated for an IIFA Award for Best Female Playback and an Apsara Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Zara Zara Touch Me". Monali won 2013 Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer Award for song "Saawar Loon" from the film "Lootera" on 24th Jan 2014.

In 2014 she will make her Bollywood acting debut in Nagesh Kunkunoor's "Lakshmi". The film is about human trafficking and Thakur plays a 15 year old girl who gets trapped in it. She will also be seen in Abbas Tryewala's multistarrer "Mango" as the female lead.

Somlata - Bengal's Heartthrob

Sunday, October 5th, 2014

Somlata and The Aces was formed when Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury, Arnab Roy, Arnab Sen, Abhishek Bhattachaya and Avishek Banerjee started to jam and realized that they could present old wine in a new bottle with their versatile musical attributes and charms.The band was formed in 2011 and having performed in more than 200 gigs in just two years, they found themselves winning over the hearts of many, nationally and even internationally in Bangladesh, Dubai, etc.Off late, their drummer has been replaced by Arkapravo Sen and the band has Sayan Ghosh as their rhythm guitarist as their keyboardist bade adieu for a different careeristic journey.

SOMLATA ACHARYYA CHOWDHURY

The name Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury immediately strikes a chord with “Tumi Ashbe Bole Tai” and “Jagorone” of Ranjana Ami Ar AshboNa (2011) but she made a stand of her own with the versatility in her Music, be it Classical, Western, Pop, Rabindra Sangeet or the Sufi Cult , back in 2009 when she was awarded the Female Artiste of The Discovery of Dada na Didi-Gaaner Big Fight, aired on Etv Bangla. Since then she has been the Female Playback singer of many Tollywood films and her hard work fetched her many Awards. She has bagged one Solo Album and three other Duet Albums and her second Solo Album would be released in 2014. A heartthrob of the youth, Somlata and The Aces has covered almost all the colleges of Eastern India in just three years.

Arnab RoyStarted his career as the guitarist of “GANESH TALKIES” and “Wajud”, Arnab Roy then simultaneously got the opportunity to be the lead guitarist and one of the founder members of Somlata and The Aces.

Abhishek BhattacharyaUnder the tutelage of Mr. Prabir Mullick, Abhishek Bhattacharya in his seven years of musical career started professionally with the band “ALTERED KARMA”, then played with a national band called “SECOND EARTH” and with an international project called “TAAL MANTRAS”. After being a part of “POROSHPATHOR”, he is currently the bass player and one of the founder members of the band.

Arkapravo SenApart from having been a part of The “Buddha Therapy” and “Purple Asparagus” since 2010, the youngest member of the band, Arka has also left his mark through his remarkable performances at Some Place Else, Kolkata, IIT Kanpur and Kharagpur etc.

Sayan GhoshSayan left his job as an IT Professional only to pursue his passion for music and give shape to his dream of being a guitarist. Apart from being the new rhythm guitarist of the band, Sayan is also the lead guitarist of “What Escapes Me” and has won many accolades.

Sounak - Kolkata's Leading Vocalist

Sunday, October 5th, 2014

Sounak is a leading vocalist of the present generation and has made a place for himself in the hearts of many Classical and Bengali Art music lovers. His regular stage performances for prestigious concert stages, in India and abroad (notably USA) his regular television appearances and his recent albums that have topped charts in leading music stores of the city bear witness to that.

Having an exceptional training base with more than 22 years of experience of learning pure classical music (Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khansahab and Mubarak Ali Khansahab,) semi classical forms from Smt Sanjukta Ghosh, advanced training in Rabindrasangeet (Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta and Pramita Mallick) and other traditional Bengali songs (Atulprasad, Rajanikanta, D.L.Roy, Nazrulgeeti, Puratoni etc), give him a range of performances that not many of his contemporaries have.

Sounak will be singing Rabindrasangeet, Dwijendrageeti, Najrul , along with some small semiclassical pieces.

Tickets for Non-Members Sounak's program is FREE for members. The best way to see Sounak's musical program is to become a member. However if you would just like to see Sounak's program, you can buy tickets for Sounak Chattopadhyay musical concert. You will also find an option to purchase a combined ticket for both Somlata and Sounak together for Oct 5.

OMG - A play brought to you by Bay Area Artists

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

This year's Durga Puja immerse yourself in a riveting show, depicting our love-hate relationship with God that transcends time, religion and geography. This show is brought to you by Bay Area Artists, who have entertained you with shows like Deja Vu Tollywood and Why Robi. Connect with God in a unique way. If you are expecting a devotional program - you are in for a big surprise. Our show will touch your heart with music, soothe your soul with dance and make you laugh and cry with drama snippets - all packed in a short one hour extravaganza. Come watch us in "OMG" or what we say "oh my god".

Mahalaya

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

Bay Area Prabasi brings you a live presentation of Mahishasura Mardini on Saturday, Oct 4th, 2014 at 3:30pm at Chabot auditorium. The team is proud to bear the torch of Bay Area Prabasi’s tradition of invoking the timeless creations of Mohalaya songs with live Chandi Paath. From the First song “Ya Chandi” to the last one “Shanti Dile Bhori” along with powerful chanting “Aswiner sharodo praate, beje uthechhe aaloko monjeer” you will be enchanted in a trance of melody and divinity. This musical epic is a representation of the fine talent and commitment of artists of our community, who strive to touch all listeners with their splendid stage performance.